Adjustable hanger for barn door



March 29, 1966 R. G. FERRIS 3,

ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR BARN DOOR Filed Feb. 26, 1965 .3 Sheets-Sheet lFIEJ J6. frz/ezz for:

March 29, 1966 R. e. FERRus ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR BARN DOOR 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1965 I: 5 NE mm mm March 29, 1966 R. G.FERRIS ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR BARN DOOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 26,1965 FIEE FIEE

United States Patent 3,242,535 ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR BARN DOOR Robert G.Ferris, Harvard, IlL, assignor to Starline, Inc., a corporation oflllinois Filed Feb. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 435,508 9 Claims. (Cl. 2019) Thisinvention relates in general to an improved hanger assembly for aslidable barn door, and more particularly to a slidable barn door hangerassembly which supports the door for horizontal and vertical adjustmentrelative to the barn.

In the recent past, farm buildings of the so-called pole barn type havebecome increasingly popular because of their simplicity, ease oferection, and low cost. Such buildings are conventionally erected bydrilling a series of holes in the ground and placing poles in the holesto carry the outer structural framework of the building, thuseliminating the need for a foundation. Horizontal bands are then securedat spaced points on the vertical poles to provide wind girts, and ametal or wood sheath is then nailed directly to the wind girts to forman enclosure. Simple laminated trusses are attached to the tops of thepoles and span the width of the encolsure to provide the framework forroof boards or steel roofing. Since buildings of the above describedtype are commonly used by farmers for livestock, implements, or grain, alarge doorway must be provided in one wall; and ease of access requiresa light-weight door which is easily moved. Accordingly, it is common forthe door to consist of a light-weight wood frame covered with plywood ormetal sheathing and to be mounted for horizontal sliding movement in atrack above the doorway. A major problem with such a door is that thewood frame is likely to warp; and this may interfere with free doortravel by causing the door to rub either on the building or on aprotective apron that is commonly part of the track.

Accordingly, the general purpose of the present invention is to providea hanger assembly for a sliding barn door, which supports the barn doorfor free unimpeded movement relative to the barn.

An object of the invention is to provide a hanger as sembly for aslidable door which includes cheap and simple means for horizontally andvertically adjusting the door relative to the track after it is hung.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger assembly asdescribed in the preceding paragraph wherein the door adjusting meansare positioned in a convenient location.

A related object of the invention is to position the horizontal andvertical door adjusting means in the same location.

A further related object is to position the door adjusting means on theinterior of the door.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for lockingthe door adjusting means in the adjusted position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a door hangerassembly as described above with horizontal adjusting means for the doorwhich are movable through 360 between maximum and minimum positionswhich are 180 apart.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hanger assemblyfor a sliding barn door with means for adjusting the horizontal positionof the door through a relatively large range without interference withthe barn or the track.

These and other objects of the invention will hereinafter become morefully apparent from the following 3,242,535 Patented Mar. 29, 1966description taken in connection with the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical building having a sliding doorwhich is hung on a track that is part of a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the door utilized withthe enclosure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the track, hanger and doortaken generally along line 33 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken generally alongthe line 44 of FIG. 3 and showing the door in a central or neutralposition;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 and showing the door in itsposition of maximum inward adjustment;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 and showing the door in itsposition of maximum outward adjustment; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along line 77 of FIG. 6.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail one specific embodiment with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principlesof the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to theembodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed outin the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, abuilding, shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1, includes a generally planarand generally perpendicular front wall 11. A doorway 12 having an uppermargin 13 is provided in wall 11, and a door 15 is mounted for slidingmovement in a vertical plane parallel to the plane of wall 11 between adoor closed and a door open position. As may be seen in FIG. 2, the door15 includes a frame that is preferably formed of wood, and whichcomprises top and bottom frame members 16, side frame members 17, and acenter brace member 13. Plywood or metal sheet 19 is secured to the doorframe. The resulting door is light in weight, but susceptible of warpingdue to the presence of the wood members.

A generally horizontally extending slotted tubular track 20 is fixed tothe wall 11 above the top 13 of the doorway 12 by means of alongitudinally extending bracket 21 and fasteners 22. Bracket 21cooperates with the track 24 to provide an effective weather sealbetween wall 11 and the inside of the door 19. As seen in FIGS. 4-6,track 2ft includes a downwardly extending and outwardly flared apron 23which shields the upper portion of the door 15, and a longitudinal trackslot 24 is behind the apron.

The door is supported beneath the track on carriage means consisting ofa plurality of carriage assemblies, such as the assembly 25, all ofwhich are mounted within track 20. Each carriage includes a frame 26having bifurcated extremities 26a, an axle 27 across each saidextremity, and a broad wheel 28 on each axle that has a circumferentialguide rib 29 riding in the slot 24 to guide the carriage in its movementalong the track 20. A bracket 36 which is fixed centrally on frame 26,as by a rivet 31, and hangs through slot 24, has an opening 32 for ahanger assembly, indicated generally at 3 3.

The hanger assembly includes a saddle 34 which is mounted in the opening32 in bracket 39 and is U-shaped in cross-section with a central openingthat is impaled by a suspended hanger member, indicated generally at 35.

In the illustrated embodiment, the hanger member 35 is a bolt having anenlarged head 35a which rests upon the top portion of the saddle 34, aneck 36, an offset portion 37, and a shank 38 which extends downwardlythrough a hole 39 in the top frame member 16 and has a projecting lowerend 38a provided with a thread 41.

Positioning means indicated generally at 40, positively positions thedoor at a predetermined distance below the track 20 and in apredetermined vertical plane which is generally parallel to the buildingwall 11. The positioning means includes means for vertically adjustingthe door in the form of a nut 42 which is threaded to engage the thread41; and flange means in the form of a washer 43 welded to the nut 42abuts a lower surface 16a of the top frame member 16. At the lower endof the bolt is a flattened tang 44 which may be gripped with a wrench toturn the bolt on the saddle. V The location of the nut 42 on the bolt 35determines the vertical position of the door; while the position of theoffset portion 37 of the bolt determines the plane of the door betweenthe wall 11 and the apron 23. Bolt shank 38 is offset from the neck 36by an amount which is slightly less than one-half the sum of thedistances between wall 11 and the inside of door 15 and between theoutside of door 15 and apron 23. Thus, by gripping the tang 44 androtating the bolt 35, the door 15 may be moved from a central or neutralposition, such as that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to a position closelyadjacent the wall 11, as in FIG. 5, or to a position closely adjacentthe apron 23 as in FIG. 6. In neutral position the offset bolt portion37 is substantially parallel to the wall, while in the other illustratedpositions it extends either toward the wall or toward the apron. Sincethe bolt 35 can be rotated through a range of 360, the door 15 may bequite accurately positioned relative to wall 11 and track apron 23.

The positioning means also includes means for locking the hanger to fixthe door 15 in its adjusted position, and to this end washer 43 has aplurality of openings 45. Once the door is in the desired verticalposition and the desired horizontal position relative to the wall, anail 46 is driven through one of the openings 45 in the washer 43 andinto the door frame member 16 to positively secure the nut 42 to thedoor 15. The positioning means 40 also includes a lock nut 47 which isthreaded on the lower end 40 of bolt 35 for securing the nut 42, bolt 35and door 15 against movement relative to one another.

To utilize the above described hanger assembly, the door is first hungby passing the bolts 35 through the openings 39 in the upper door framemember 16, threading the nuts 42 on the threaded portions 41 of therespective bolts 34, and then adjusting the nuts to fix the verticalposition of the door 15. During the vertical adjustment of the door 15,the bolts 35 are prevented from rotating by gripping their tang portions44 with a wrench or the like. After the door is in its proper verticalposition, it may be adjusted horizontally by gripping the tang portions44 and rotating the bolts 35 until the door 15 assumes a clearanceposition with respect to the wall 11 and the apron 23 of track 20. Whenthe proper horizontal position of the door is reached, a nail 46 isdriven into the upper frame member 16 through one of the holes in thewasher 43 to lock the nuts 42 against rotation. The lock nuts 47 maythen be screwed into engagement with the nuts 42 so as to lock the boltsagainst rotation. It is apparent that the nuts 42 may be held with awrench when the bolts 35 are rotated for horizontal adjustment of thedoor, or alternatively that the nails may be driven through the washersbefore the door is adjusted horizontally.

It is essential that both the offset bolts 35, and the adjusting nuts 42be locked against rotation because that is the only way to assure thatthe door will hold its vertical and horizontal adjustments. Withoutsomething locking the nuts against rotation they can turn with continueduse of the door and cause a loss of vertical adjustment. Withoutsomething locking the bolts 35 against rotation the bolts can turn inthe nuts and cause a loss of horizontal adjustment. Nevertheless, thedoor may be readjusted either vertically or horizontally by looseningthe lock nuts 47 and turning the bolts by gripping their tang ends.Several turns are required for effective vertical adjustment, because ofthe pitch of the threads; but only a fraction of a turn is required forelfective horizontal adjustment.

From the foregoing it is apparent that both the horizontal and verticaladjustments of the door are made in one place, namely, at the upperportion of the inside of the door. The adjusting means are positionedbelow the door header 16 so as to be readily accessible, whereupon if afurther adjustment becomes necessary at a later date due to warping,building settling, or fioor raising, it is necessary merely to loosenthe lock nuts 47 and rotate the bolts 35 by gripping their tang ends aspreviously described. The lock nuts are then tightened while grippingthe tang ends of the bolts to lock the hanger in the desired position.This arrangement presents a distinct advantage over prior artconstructions wherein the door hangers are provided at the top of thedoor and do not extend below the door header. Such hangers are obviouslyunaccessible because the track apron 23 and the horizontal portion ofthe doorway 13 do not provide sufficient clearance for manipulation ofthe hangers. From the foregoing, it should be apparent that each of theobjects of the invention have been fully achieved.

I claim:

1. In a sliding door for an opening in a generally perpendicularbuilding wall, supporting structure comprising, in combination: agenerally horizontal track on the building wall above the opening;

a carriage movable along said track;

a door including a generally horizontally extending top frame member;

a depending hanger member rotatably mounted on said carriage, saidhanger member having a offset shank portion that extends verticallythrough a hole in said top frame member, said shank portion fittingwithin said hole so that rotation of the hanger member on the carriagemember moves the door laterally;

and positioning means on said offset shank portion engaged beneath saidtop frame member to positively position said door at a predetermineddistance below the track and in a predetermined vertical plane which isgenerally parallel to the building wall, said positioning meansincluding support means movable along said shank portion for support andvertical adjustment of the door, and said positioning means alsoincluding releasable locking means for preventing rotation of the hangermember and for preventing movement of the support means, said shankportion having a lower extremity which may be engaged from below thepositioning means to rotate the hanger member.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the shank portion has anon-cylindrical tang at its lower end by which it may be engaged belowthe positioning means.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the track has a protective lipextending downwardly therefrom and spaced outwardly from the buildingwall, and in which the axial offset of the shank portion is slightlyless than one half the sum of the distances from the inside face of saiddoor to the wall and from the outside face of the door to the lip.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which the releasable locking meansincludes a washer, and means for releasably securing the washer to theunderside of the top door frame member.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which the hanger member is a headedbolt having a threaded shank and in which the support means is a nutthreaded onto said bolt shank.

6. The combination of claim 5 in which the releasable locking meansincludes a lock nut threaded onto the shank below the support nut.

7. In a sliding door for an opening in a building wall, supportingstructure comprising, in combination:

a generally horizontal track on the building wall above the opening;

a carriage movable along said track;

a door including a generally horizontally extending top frame member;

a bolt having a head in rotatable engagement with the carriage, and saidbolt having a depending, offset threaded shank which extends verticallythrough a hole in said top frame member so that rotation of the bolt onthe carriage moves the door laterally;

and positioning means on said offset shank portion engaged beneath saidtop frame member to positively position said door at a predetermineddistance below the track and in a predetermined vertical plane which isgenerally parallel to the building wall, said positioning meansincluding an adjusting nut threaded on the lower end of said hanger tosupport the door and provide vertical adjustment thereof,

8. The combination of claim 7 in which the Washer is 10 welded to theadjusting nut.

9. The combination of claim 7 in which said locking means also includesa lock nut threaded on the bolt shank below the adjusting nut.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 929,888 8/1909Sjoberg 20-16 X 1,079,870 11/1913 Lloyd 16-97 X 1,176,152 3/1916Lawrence 16-95 X 2,871,932 2/1959 Stroup 160-40 3,071,825 1/1963 Ferris20-19 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner.

1. IN A SLIDING DOOR FOR AN OPENING IN A GENERALLY PERPENDICULARBUILDING WALL, SUPPORTING STRUCTURE COMPRISIING, IN COMBINATION: AGENERALLY HORIZONTAL TRACK ON THE BUILDING WALL ABOVE THE OPENING; ACARRIAGE MOVABLE ALONG SAID TRACK; A DOOR INCLUDING A GENERALLYHORIZONTALLY EXTENDING TOP FRAME MEMBER; A DEPENDING HANGER MEMBERROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE, SAID HANGER MEMBER HAVING A OFFSETSHANK PORTION THAT EXTENDS VERTICALLY THROUGH A HOLE IN SAID TOP FRAMEMEMBER, SAID SHANK PORTION FITTING WITHIN SAID HOLE SO THAT ROTATION OFTHE HANGER MEMBER ON THE CARRIAGE MEMBER MOVES THE DOOR LATERALLY; ANDPOSITIONING MEANS ON SAID OFFSET SHANK PORTION ENGAGED BENEATH SAID TOPFRAME MEMBER TO POSITIVELY POSITION SAID DOOR AT A PREDETERMINEDVERTICAL PLANE BELOW THE TRACK AND IN A PREDETERMINED VERTICAL PLANEWHICH IS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE BUILDING WALL, SAID POSITIONING MEANSINCLUDING SUPPORT MEANS MOVEABLE ALONG SAID SHANK PORTION FOR SUPPORTAND VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE DOOR, AND SAID POSITIONING MEANS ALSOINCLUDING RELEASABLE LOCKING MEANS FOR PREVENTING ROTATION OF THE HANGERMEMBER AND FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF THE SUPPORT MEANS, SAID SHANKPORTION HAVING A LOWER EXTREMITY WHICH MAY BE ENGAGED FROM BELOW THEPOSITIONING MEANS TO ROTATE THE HANGER MEMBER.